As a school teacher, I wanted to have something to come home to, where I didn’t have to think about work, something that would greet me with much love and affection. That’s when my husband and I came to the shelter in March 2010. As we scanned the kennels of both the shelter and stray side, our eyes were locked on one cute little puppy. We thought for sure we’d be able to handle raising a puppy, but as fate would have it, he was adopted before we had a chance. Luckily, our second choice was the one who “saved” us. We spent almost every Wednesday evening and Saturday morning walking dogs, and would always save our last walks for O’Shea. We now are official “homeowners,” and O’Shea has met many new friends in the area. Everywhere we walk, people are astounded to see such a fit, lean, healthy looking dog. We love him, he is our baby!

We adopted Hines (formerly Scruffy) April 30, 2011. We’ve had him 4 months now. We didn’t know what to expect as he had been at the shelter for 4 months and didn’t know his past situation. He is gentle, sweet and very loving yet sometimes a bit timid. He has done well being an outdoor dog. We had the summer to spend time with him, taking him for walks (the Gentle Leader has made a world of difference) and sitting with him on the deck. We have a pond a very short distance from our house and on the very hot humid days when neither of us felt like walking, we’d go there so he could cool off. He even found a turtle that the kids and I got to witness lay her eggs! He likes to be part of our family – as he “cried” when the bus picked up the kids the first day of school. New neighbors moved in a month ago, they have 3 girls aged 2-7 and they love to play with him too. He enjoys the sand pile the kids haven’t used in a few years and is very proud to run next to my daughter in the yard. We’ve not found a toy he is interested in yet, but when we pick up the fallen apples in the yard he thinks it is a treat to get one in his mouth to carry around then bury in the sand pile…? He would love to play with our indoor cats when they go out but they aren’t interested in him. He does “hound” every once in a while at night as we have rabbits, squirrels, and Chet – a stray cat befriended by the former neighbors that catch his attention. Hines is a good boy and we tell him that often. We love him and are glad HE PICKED US when we visited the Humane Society. 🙂 The Johnson Family

Name: Charlie
Adopted: April 2011
Updated from owner: Doug and Donna adopted Charlie, a black lab mix from the HSNI shelter 5 months ago. He was originally from the stray shelter side.
Charlie is now a camper and ALWAYS goes on the family
get aways. He recently was even invited over for the neighbors barbecue and was the life of the party. He has proven to be an ideal dog who doesn’t need a leash or a cage and has earned full range of the house, backyard, and of course the tent. Here he is on his first official camping trip and hes off sight seeing.

Update from owner: In August, 2011, we found Sadie on Petfinders.com at the Humane Society of North Iowa and fell in love with her. We were lucky enough to be selected as her new “forever” family and drove from Minnesota to Iowa to meet her and take her home.

Just wanted to let you know that she has adapted well and loves to race in her new backyard, chew her raw-hides, and nap in the King sized bed.

She likes to watch the neighborhood kids get on the school bus and gets very excited by pickup trucks…old memories, we suspect.

We love having her in our lives and wanted to thank all of you for your help in making this happen.

Adopted by: Theresa and Michael
Update from owner: He runs the house and Loves to drink from the faucet. He has 4000 square feet and has decided that our bedroom is his favorite spot. He has a fetish about clothes mainly socks makes weird sounds and runs away to hide in his stash. Funny cat that makes my wife very happy.

Wishing you and all at the Humane Society of North Iowa a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Chester has grown into a fine young dog. He is hovering around the 115 pound mark and is having so much fun. We love him and are thankful every day to have him in our lives.

Happy Holidays from Versache! I adopted Versache in October 2011 and she has been great! She is my best friend and a friend to everyone we meet. I live on a college campus and she is Miss Popular and the students love seeing her walk around campus and come to visit her all the time at home. She has attended a couple of Pet Therapy Days on campus where she is a hit and gets lots of love from hundreds of students. Versache also loves snuggling up and sleeping on my pillows every night. She is definitely a spoiled girl, but she deserves it. This photo was taken at the Cedar Valley Humane Society Open House where Versache had a chance to mingle among many new friends (both 2-legged and 4-legged). Since I’ve had her we have really worked loose leash walking and more training commands – our goal for 2012 is to pass the Canine Good Citizen test! Thank you HSNI! – Jill & Versache

My parents call me Boz but, officially, my name has been changed to Bosley (instead of Bosworth) as it seems to be a better fit for me. I don’t mind, because mostly they call me Boz, just like I’m use to. On my first day home, my mom stayed home (she can work from home as her employer knows how important her dogs are to her). The next day (Friday) my dad stayed home. They want to make sure that I am supervised in my new home with my new brother (Beau) and sister (Daisy). Guess what? They have a kitty cat as well! They call her PeePee! She has been around big guys like me her whole life. Mom and Dad say that they have never had a new dog that tried so hard to fit in. I’m trying really hard to be a good new brother. As you know, Beau is an adult and Daisy is really old (and little). She thinks she is the boss of us all, so I know who I need to be very respectful of. They were both a bit standoffish towards me at first but today Beau licked my face a number of times. I’m told this is a really good thing because he only does this to guys he likes. I guess he likes me now! Beau and I have been on several walks together and that was fun. Mom took me to the doctor yesterday and I met a lot of new friends there. My doctor says I’m in good health and that made my mom and dad very happy. After that, Mom took me to the pet store where I made even more new friends! She took me there to buy me a tag with my name and 2 phone numbers on it, because they don’t want me to get lost. Monday morning I’m going to daycare! Mom and dad don’t want me to stay home alone yet. At daycare, I’ll have lots of supervision and play time, and Mom and Dad can go to work. Mom and I will be starting training soon, even though I am a really good boy, I want to get trained and someday become a therapy dog. Beau has this training and I think that is really cool. My Mom wants to be able to take me to the hospital someday to visit sick people. Who wouldn’t want a visit from me? Anyway, so far so good. I think I have found a place where I fit. These guys already love me and I see many happy years ahead with them. Thanks for all of the good care you provided me and for finding me a home where I am so loved.

It’s been a while since we adopted our dog Lucky, so I figure an update is long over due. She is doing FANTASTIC at our house and we absolutely love her. She has gained some weight and has transitioned well to our busy life. Lucky and her sister Shandy have become the best of friends too. I am so glad that we made the decision to go to a two dog household! Lucky is the most snuggly, affectionate and easy going dog we have ever had in our family. She is smart too. She has learned how to sit, stay and roll over. We are very lucky to have found her! Thank you to everyone at the shelter for all you do. Hope you enjoy the pics.

Well I am happy to say I am a very happy little boy. I have fit right in with my new family. I have 3 older feline sisters that I get along with…. well 2 of them. My sister Sassy is coming around and will come with in 2 feet of me before she hisses. My other two sister say she acts tough but is really a nice girl…think I will wait for a bit before I totally beleive that:)

My mom takes me with her whenever she can which has helped me socialize. I don’t even bark and the clerks at the Mcdonald’s drive up when they give me a treat. Yep I’m coming along.

I have been learning some tricks which is really fun as mom gives me really yummy treats and always says what a good boy I am…she calls me her little man..

And I have proven I am such a good boy at night I now sleep in bed with mom…..

I got Annabelle (formerly Ozzie) last October and fell in love with a ratty little dog sitting at the front of her kennel. She’s had a tough road but she is a wonderful, loving dog. She had surgery to remove a large mass on her leg and abdomen, also a fatty “knot” on her knee. She also had lots of medicated baths to heal her dry, scaley skin. She now has LOTS of hair! Two weeks ago she was diagnosed with collapsed trachea, so she is on medication and is now sporting a new harness instead of a collar. I went from getting a short haired, 2 year old dog to getting a long haired, 8+ year old dog. I WOULD NOT CHANGE A THING!!! She is my pride and joy and fills my life with lots of love and happiness. I’m very proud of her!

Name: JoJo
Adopted: September 2011
Update from family:
JoJo has been a joy to have as part of our family. She is such a smart and obedient girl. JoJo has a feline brother named Zeke, they are perfect together! Their favorite thing to do together is chase the laser light. Jo also has a 2 year old human sister that just absolutely adores her. She learned how to sit, lay down, roll over, and wait, all in the first month of being apart of our family. She is also very respectfull. She happily accepts her place as she follows us up the stairs, to the Jeep, and pretty much anywhere else where she is welcomed. She has her own chair, and knows to stay off of the “soft leather” furniture. She doesnt steal or chew things that dont belong to her, and to our amazement she has never made a mess in her kennel during the day. Jo loves her ball, tug of war, and most of all, going for Jeep rides. She has traveled all over the state in the last year, and even made a trip to meet family in Kansas.

Name: Abby
Adopted: Spring 2012
Update from owner: Abby is doing just fine. We are amazed at her adjustment to her new surroundings. When we first brought her home she seemed to be slow. A visit to Dr. Dan Smith in Albert Lea proved very helpful. Abby needed extensive teeth cleaning and had 2 upper rear molars removed. The results were almost instant! Her energy level is up and she takes us for two to four walks a day. She loves running around the Worth County Fairgrounds!

She has started to be a guardian of the house and yard, occasionally barking at passersby. She has the dog door figured out and goes to the yard when she wants to.

Abby’s big event so far was a visit to our son, Tony’s, place along the Arkansas River in Dardanelle, Arkansas. She had free rein in his yard and got to take walks through the woods for a very nice week.

We are attaching a few pictures. We take it one day at a time with Abby and are blessed to have her in our home.

Adopted: Spring 2012
Update from owners: Greetings, folks! Not too long ago, we adopted a cuddly kitty named Chloe, and we just wanted you to know she is indeed a very important part of our family now, and as a matter of fact, pretty much rules the roost! She is adorable, “talkative”, and follows us around like a little puppy. We built her a “kitty condo” right off the bat, and she loves laying on the highest level, looking out the window and seeing all the bird activity in the back yard (we have a couple of bird feeders out there). She is doing great, we treasure this kitty cat, and I think she is having an absolute blast here! Lots of toys, kitty treats, and healty food, too. Bless you all for the wonderful work you do!!

Name: Tater Tot
Adopted: January 2012
Update from owner: We adopted Zack in late January 2012. Since then he has been renamed Tater Tot by my husband since he is so cute and tiny.

At first he was very shy and wanted to be held all the time. Since then he has come out of his shell. He is the most lively little fellow and continuously makes us laugh with his antics. He has established himself as the biggest little dog of the 4 dog pack and our rottweiler mix has determined she is his protector. She always goes out to potty with him and waits patiently for him to conclude his business.He has truly found a castle to call his own and he is the ruling king. He still wants to be held, sort of. Mostly he wants to sit in the chair with my husband or myself and gaze down upon his kingdom and watch TV. He sleeps in the big bed upon his own pillow with this own blanket. He scoffs (literally) at anything he doesn’t like but we have found that is very few things. He also wakes me every morning at 5 am to let me know that breakfast best not be late.
Lately he has begun to bark to let us know when he wants something. Unfortunately that is not the signal to go out to potty. We are still working on that. On that note, he is a stubborn little dog and the epitome of his breed. He does well as long as we keep an eye on him but he has to be carried to the door or else he darts around. He is not too crazy about the great outdoors or our largest cat. He tends to avoid her as much as possible. She has never scratched him but I think just her size is intimidating enough. That and he is forced to share the big bed with her. Since she is a cat and he is the dog king, he may think she is unworthy of such priviledges.

His hair is growing in nicely and my husband dotes on Tater by grooming him at least twice a day. Tater doesn’t mind and usually falls asleep during his grooming. He is a completely spolied little dog and gives back as much love as he gets. We are so happy he has become a member of our family.

Name: Bailey
Adopted: April 2012
Update from owner:
We thought it was time to give you an up-date on how you changed our lives on April 3, 2012. Our Shipoo, Bailey, has been such a blessing. He settled nicely into our home and has become a treasured part of our family.

He is such a smart little guy. I hung a bell on the back door so that when he wanted to go out he could ring the bell. Two days after I hung the bell and showed him, he rang the bell. I got up from the chair and walked to the door and there he was looking at me. He doesn’t need that bell anymore though because of the new doggy door. He can easily go through the newly installed doggy door in the house door into the garage and out the doggy door in the garage. He loves running around in the fenced in yard. He runs and leaps like a deer. He makes us laugh. We have also added gates to the porch on our house so he can go out on the porch when we leave the door open. He definitely is one spoiled dog but one well behaved dog.

He had his first grooming with Rhonda in Rock Falls last Friday. I like his hair a little longer but he still is a cutie. He didn’t like her using the electric clipper around his face and he let her know that. He tried to nip her. She tapped his nose and told him no and he listened. She had to use a scissors around his face. I am hoping that he will get better about that. I am working with him at home. I wash around his eyes everyday and brush/comb his hair in hopes that he will get use to someone touching his face and that his fear will dissolve.

He has tons of toys but his favorite is his orange rubber squeaky bone. He also absolutely loves his beef bully sticks. I found those by chance at Walmart and it was a great find for him.

Bailey sleeps with us every night in our bed, takes walks with us and goes on many of our road trips into town. He isn’t a fan of being left in the house when we go. He has free run of the house when we are gone, no kennel for him. He is 100% house broke. He also goes to Mpls. when we visit my 91 year old dad and he loves my dad. He spent most of his time snuggling on my dad’s chair with him. It was so heart warming. The elderly people that live in the Assisted Living home with my dad really enjoy petting Bailey also. He is so gentle with them.

Thank you again for choosing us. You have richly blessed our lives. We both love this little guy like crazy.

Name: Sassy
Adopted: August 2011
Update from owner: We adopted Sassy on August 23rd of 2011. She celebrated her 1st birthday on June 18th which was also our 1 year wedding anniversary. We could not imagine our lives without her!

Name: Chaz
Adopted: September 2011
Update from owner: We have been meaning to email you since September when you were so kind to let Charlie (formerly Chaz) come home with us to Brooklyn, NY. Charlie misses you all and talks kindly about his time at the Humane Society – we hope to come and visit soon over the holidays!

We wanted to send you a few photos of Charlie enjoying his time in NY to show you how happy and well he is doing, thanks to your saving him and helping find a good home.

Name: Sophie (formerly Kya)
Adopted: June 2012
Update from owners: It’s been a week since we adopted Kya (now known as Sophie) and she has truly been a blessed addition to our home! She quickly learned the layout of our house and loves taking naps on her new favorite plush blanket (see attached photo J). She loves to go for walks in the park next door to our house and riding anywhere with us in the car. She is definitely a cuddler and wishes that we never had to leave the house without her ~ but that just allows us to love her all the more when we get home!

Thank you for taking such good care of her while she was between homes and for being so kind to us during the adoption process. We are so happy with the new addition to our family… She is loved!!

Name: Milton
Adopted: May 2012
Update from owner: Llast month, I adopted Milton the cat from your shelter. I just wanted to give you an update, as well as a huge thank you for providing me with such a great addition to our family. At first, Milton struggled to get adjusted to the house, being pretty talkative and somewhat destructive. However, he’s learned quickly what surfaces he can and can’t be on, what is meant to be scratched, and where to locate his litter boxes! At night, he joins me not only in my room, but in my bed (typically right in my arms!) and purrs me to sleep. As my first cat, Milton has been so fantastic to bring home and get to know. Thank you again for giving me such a wonderful opportunity with a great little guy!

Name: Squeak and Pippi
Adopted: Fall 2011
Update from owner: Here is a photo of the cats we adopted almost a year ago. We call them Squeak and Pippi. My boys love them. The cats love to sit in the sun, cuddle on our laps, play in the floor joists of our unfinished basement and have even caught a mouse or 🙂 two. Thank you for these wonderful additions to our family.

Adopted: August 2012
Update from owner: My name was Teazer, now I am Barley (bestest kitty ever) Here is a little update for you. It has been 2 weeks tomorrow since I purred my way into the heart of my new forever mom. I am settling in just fine.

I have a big old play pal, named Sadey. She was a bit scary at first. I now think she is fun to attack her tail as she lays there and wags it just to get me going.

I have lots of toys here,and lots of room to run, even got just a little taste of outside today in the garden with mom. I was kind of scared, but all the plants and stuff out there were fun to play in. My favorite toy so far are peacock feathers, I just love to pounce on them and tear them to shreds. I think the thing I love most is cuddling at night with my mom. I love to be under the blankets curled up next to her. I just lay there and purr and sleep the entire night.

No need to worry about me, I think I will fit in here just fine!!!

Thanks again for all the great care you gave me until I purred my way out!

Name: Willoughby
Update from owner: Just thought you all would like to see a follow-up on willoughby. This is his typical morning…napping on my lap in the recliner. He’s happy and healthy and it didn’t take him long to realize he’s in charge of the house 🙂 thanks for the wonderful addition to our family.

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The Humane Society of North Iowa has a great opportunity for those that want to help the shelter animals! Now you can SPONSOR A PET that is available for adoption at the shelter.

Click on the link to learn more our sponsorship program:https://www.hsni.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Sponsor-a-pet-poster.jpg

This album features shelter animals that have been sponsored by a supporter. Thank you to these sponsors for helping us find homes for all our furry friends! ...

The Humane Society of North Iowa has a great opportunity for those that want to help the shelter animals! Now you can SPONSOR A PET that is available for adoption at the shelter.
Click on the link to learn more our sponsorship program:https://www.hsni.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Sponsor-a-pet-poster.jpg
This album features shelter animals that have been sponsored by a supporter. Thank you to these sponsors for helping us find homes for all our furry friends!

Our Kennel Manager (@[100001226663341:2048:Kristen Pedelty]) and her family painted, decorated and hid all sorts of pet themed rocks all over the shelter grounds!
Come look for them!! (and while you're doing that, why not take a shelter dog with you on the hunt??? :))
Let us know if you find one of these adorable rocks and we'll share your pic here! (take a photo and tag us, or come in and let us know during open hours! (Tues-Fri 10-5, Wed 10-7, Sat 10-4))
If you find the brown dog face rock (pictured), you win a FREE Humane Society of North Iowa t-shirt!

The Humane Society of North Iowa LOVES generous kids!!!! We see many kids that come to the shelter with donations they've collected for us at their birthday parties, lemonade stands, mowing lawns, doing chores, etc... These kids are so generous and thoughtful! Thank you to each and every one of you! You are AWESOME!!!! ...

Come out tonight to a BLOCK PARTY at Kaplan University! We'll be there with shelter dogs from 5:00-6:30! Come on our for some food, fun and furry friends! ...

Block Party Sponsored by Kaplan University

August 15, 2017, 5:00pm - August 15, 2017, 6:30pm

Kaplan University in Mason invites you to their campus for a neighborhood block party! We will have inflatables, free hot dogs, and giveaways that evening in our parking lot. Bring your family and your friends for a fun night on Kaplan!

Our Kennel Manager (Kristen Pedelty) and her family painted, decorated and hid all sorts of pet themed rocks all over the shelter grounds!

Come look for them!! (and while you're doing that, why not take a shelter dog with you on the hunt??? :))

Let us know if you find one of these adorable rocks and we'll share your pic here! (take a photo and tag us, or come in and let us know during open hours! (Tues-Fri 10-5, Wed 10-7, Sat 10-4))

If you find the brown dog face rock (pictured), you win a FREE Humane Society of North Iowa t-shirt! ...

Our Kennel Manager (@[100001226663341:2048:Kristen Pedelty]) and her family painted, decorated and hid all sorts of pet themed rocks all over the shelter grounds!
Come look for them!! (and while you're doing that, why not take a shelter dog with you on the hunt??? :))
Let us know if you find one of these adorable rocks and we'll share your pic here! (take a photo and tag us, or come in and let us know during open hours! (Tues-Fri 10-5, Wed 10-7, Sat 10-4))
If you find the brown dog face rock (pictured), you win a FREE Humane Society of North Iowa t-shirt!